Boston officials have reacted with outrage to an upcoming cover of Rolling Stone magazine which features an image of accused marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

The headline simply reads: "The Bomber".

But it is the cover photo that has caused outrage - a shot of Dzokhar Tsarnaev staring dreamily into the camera, looking very much like the rock stars that usually fill the space.

Boston mayor Tom Mennino says it is disgusting.

"It's a total disgrace, that cover of Rolling Stone," he said.

"It should have been about survivors or first responders. Why are we glorifying a guy who created mayhem in the city of Boston? I am going to be in touch with the publishers and tell them how I feel about it."

"I haven't read it, but I understand the substance of the article is not objectionable, it's apparently pretty good reporting," he said.

The cover has also prompted anger on social media.

In line with Rolling Stone tradition

Rolling Stone clearly did not take the photo - Tsarnaev has been in custody since he was captured in April and the article does not glorify his actions.

Controversial cover flashback

WRKO broadcaster and columnist for the Boston Herald, Howie Carr, spoke to ABC News Radio about the cover: "This angelic looking portrait of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev next to the big bold type "The Bomber" and the sub head type "Monster", I think created this sort of cognitive dissonance that really makes for a very effective magazine cover. I certainly don't think Rolling Stone was glorifying Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in any way. The story is about how did this seemingly normal and even gentle appearing kid transform himself into a terrorist in a very short period of time?And it just seems to me that that cover is a very good way of illustrating that dilemma. Rolling Stone does a lot of serious news and it often features that serious news on the cover. And I hate to go back to 1970 but I'll do it anyway, Rolling Stone in 1970 ran a full colour portrait of Charles Manson that by the standards of Charles Manson was a fairly flattering looking picture, but I don't think the article that accompanied it was fairly flattering."

In a statement, the magazine says its cover story is in line with its tradition of covering important political and cultural issues.

"The fact that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is young, and in the same age group as many of our readers, makes it all the more important for us to examine the complexities of this issue and gain a more complete understanding of how a tragedy like this happens," Rolling Stone's editors said in a statement.

Tsarnaev is the survivor of a pair of brothers accused of carrying out the attack on the Boston Marathon which killed three people and injured more than 260.

The 19-year-old looks thinner and younger in the cover photo than he appeared last week in a Boston federal court to face charges related to the bombing.

Rolling Stone said the article reveals a few new details about Tsarnaev, including that he once told a high school friend that he believed terrorist attacks could be justified and he "took his religion seriously," according to a friend cited in the article.

Music legends ranging from Bob Dylan to Jay-Z, as well as actors and other celebrities, have graced the magazine's cover over its 45-year history.

Tsarnaev appeared in court for the first time last week and pleaded not guilty to all charges in a 30-count indictment.